Christmas Miracle
by SuperWhoLandLocked
Summary: Natasha just needs a miracle this Christmas. Established Clintasha and Pepperony


_*Six months ago*_

 _Natasha waited anxiously as the Quinjet touched down. She rubbed her stomach slightly as she thought of the news she had to tell her husband. They had been gone for three months, no contact. She watched as Steve, followed by the pilot exited the Quinjet. She looked past the two to see if Clint was behind them, but he wasn't. She turned to Steve, who looked at her with sorrow._

" _I'm sorry, Nat." the Avengers leader said, quietly. She realized Steve held Clint's bow and quiver in his arms. She looked at it blindly, not wanting to believe the fact that her partner of so many years-her husband for ten of them-was gone._

" _No." she whispered._

* * *

*Present day*

"Shush, my little bird. Ночь пришла, Темноту привела. Вышла маменька Закрыла став еньки. Баю-бай, Засыпай!" Natasha whispered to her daughter. The baby in her arms quieted and she placed back in the crib next to her bed. Tony had insisted she move into Avengers Tower during the last few months of her pregnancy and she hadn't moved out yet. It was too lonesome in the little apartment she had shared with Clint. A cough at the door made her look up.

"You doing okay, Red?" Tony asked. She nodded. For all the 'tough guy' act the billionaire put on, he was actually a softie.

"I was talking to Fury today about trying to go find Clint's body. He told me they had already searched for him, but I'm sending a suit out anyway tomorrow morning. After everything that's happened, I don't trust the man." he said. She looked down at her sleeping daughter.

"Thank you. I just wish he'd had a proper burial. All he has is an empty grave with a generic headstone. He deserved more than that." she said, struggling to keep her voice even. From Tony's hum, she knew she hadn't done a very good job.

" You should get some sleep, Natasha. We've got an early morning tomorrow. Gabrielle will be up bright and early and you know she'll expect 'Auntie Nat' to be up too." the billionaire told her. She smiled. Gabrielle was Tony and Pepper's three-year old daughter and she was Tony through and through.

"Goodnight, Tony."

"Goodnight, Natasha."

* * *

Early the next morning, Natasha was awoken by the delighted screams of a three-year old. With a quick glance towards her daughter's crib, she noticed it was empty. Panic seized her briefly.

"JARVIS, where is Karina?" she asked.

"Mister Stark collected Karina when she awoke thirty minutes ago. They are currently in the main living room with Mrs. Stark and Miss Gabrielle." the AI responded. Natasha relaxed and got out of bed, pulling on her robe as she left.

"Auntie Nat! Look what Santa brought me!" Gabrielle shouted as soon as Natasha entered the room. Natasha smiled, instantly spotting her daughter in the swing next to the couch. The three-week old was fast asleep.

"That's wonderful, Gabrielle." Natasha replied. The little girl's attention was drawn to the next person who entered the room.

"Uncle Steve! It's Christmas!"

Steve nodded at her and turned to Tony.

"Stark, do you remember that mission that we were going to do today?" he asked. Tony thought for a minute, then nodded.

"Yeah. Why? What's up?" the billionaire asked. Steve motioned to the kitchen.

"We need to talk about it." he said. Tony looked at him and then followed him into the kitchen. Natasha glanced at Pepper, who looked as confused as she was.

"So, I assume you have no idea, either?" she asked the other redhead. Pepper shook her head.

"No. I didn't even know they were doing a mission today. It's Christmas." the Stark Industries CEO replied. Natasha hummed and turned towards the kitchen. Tony popped his head out, smiled at Natasha and disappeared back into the kitchen. Natasha hummed again. That wasn't suspicious at all. Pepper looked over at her.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Natasha. Relax, it's Christmas." she told her. Natasha glanced once more to the kitchen and then turned back towards the enthusiastic three-year old who was still busy unwrapping presents from Santa.

"Hey, Red! Come here for a sec?" Tony called from the kitchen. Natasha exchanged a glance with Pepper, who now looked worried, and got up. She headed to the kitchen, pausing before entering the room. She stopped as soon as she entered though, her gaze locked on the person standing in front her, who was nursing a broken arm. Steve and Tony stood off to the side, the latter with a grin on his face. Bruce stood at the counter, fixing a cup of tea.

"How?" she whispered, turning from Clint to Steve. Steve looked over to the archer and then back to her.

"It was all Fury's idea," Steve hurriedly explained, "The mission was supposed to be simple, but it didn't turn out that way. We had to retreat and Fury said to send Clint in undercover. I wanted to tell you, but Fury wouldn't let me. He said the more people who believed Clint was really dead, the better his cover would be. And, then when you told us you were pregnant, I fought him on it. But he told me they had lost contact with Clint a few days prior. That was a lie, which I just found out. Clint got back a few days ago, but was stuck in medical, due to his broken arm. Fury only told me this morning when he realized Tony was sending one of his suits out to go look for Clint's body." She turned back to Clint, who looked nervous.

"Get out." she told the other three. Steve nodded and left. Tony began to protest, but Bruce dragged him out after Steve before he could say anything. She focused on Clint, who now looked even more nervous.

"Six months. Six months I waited for you to come strolling through the door, bragging how you fought them all off. You missed the birth of our daughter." she hissed.  
"I'm sorry, 'Tasha. I fought against it as much as Steve did, but Fury was insistent. Wait-what do you mean 'our daughter'?"

"I was pregnant when you left. I didn't know until about a month after, but there was no contact with you. And then, when you were _supposed_ to come home, I was three months pregnant. I gave birth without you here, because you were on some stupid mission!" she said.

"How old is she?"

"Three weeks." she replied. All of a sudden, the exhaustion and pain of six months crashed on her and she stumbled.

"Nat." her husband called as he caught her. She buried her face in her shoulder and silent sobs racked her body. Clint held her close, comforting her as she let out six months of grief.

"It's okay, Nat. I'm here now. Let's go see our daughter." he whispered. She nodded and led him into the living room.

"Uncle Clint! Daddy said you weren't coming home!" Gabrielle yelled, waking Karina. Natasha gathered her daughter and showed her to Clint.

"Clint, this is Karina. Our daughter." she said. He laughed and gently took his daughter from Natasha, cradling her against him.

"It's a Christmas miracle, Daddy!" Gabrielle shouted. Tony laughed and nodded.

"Yes, Gabrielle. It sure is." Pepper replied.

* * *

Translation for the lullaby Natasha sings:

The night has come  
And she has brought darkness with her.  
Mummy went out  
Closed the shutters,  
Sleep, sleep,  
Fall asleep!


End file.
